Overhead projector apparatus



April 1, 1958 H. G. FITZ GERALD 2,828,666

OVERHEAD PROJECTOR APPARATUS Filed Jan. 9, 1956 E6;& 22. 3.

IN V EN TOR.

QM QM ovnnnnnn rnorncron APPARATUS Harold G. Fitz Gerald, Los Angeles, Calif assignor to Victoriite industries, Inc., Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application January 9, 1956, Serial No. 558,101

Claims. (Cl. 85-24) This invention has to do with an overhead projector of the type wherein a projecting head is supported on a column or the like, to occur above a body in which suitable light generating means is housed, and is more particularly concerned with a projector of the character referred to wherein the column adapted to support the projecting head can be broken or folded in a manner to establish a carrying handle for the projector.

Ordinary or conventional overhead projectors having projecting heads spaced vertically above the body in which the light generating means is housed, are generally of considerable size and weight and are consequently difiicult and awkward to handle, ship and store.

It is an object of my invention to provide an overhead projector of the general character referred to having an articulate column or post supporting and carrying the projecting head above the body and adapted to fold down to establish a carrying handle for the projector.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an articulate projecting head post of the nature referred to above, having a knuckle joint permitting the section of the column occurring at opposite ends of the joint to pivot or swing from a position where they are in axial alignment to a position where they are at right angles to each other.

it is another object of the present invention to provide a simple, highly elfective and dependable lock means in the knuckle joint and between the projecting head and body which positively sets and locks the column and the projecting head in predetermined positions relative to the body. A

A further object of the present invention is to provide an articulate post adapted to support a projecting head above a body which is both easy and economical of manufacture and which is highly effective and dependable in operation.

The various objects and features of my invention will be fully understood from the following detailed description of a typical preferred form and application of my invention, throughout which description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a projector embodying the present invention, the post being shown broken or folded to establish a carrying handle for the projector. In Fig. 1, the post is shown extended, or in operating position in phantom lines. Fig. 2 is a view of knuckle joint that I provide, with portions broken away and showing the joint in an open or extended position. Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the knuckle joint and taken substantially as indicated by line 33 on Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a View of the knuckle joint that I provide with a portion thereof broken away and showing the joint in a broken or folded position. Fig. 5 is a sectional View showing the mounting means securing the projecting head to the post and taken as indicated by line 55 on Fig. l.

The overhead projector'provided by the present inven- 2, tion includes generally, a cabinet A adapted to house a suitable light generating and directing means B, a projecting head C adapted to receive and project a beam of light projecting from the body, an articulate post D projecting from the body and adapted to support the head and to shift between an open position where the projecting head receives and projects the beam of light issning'frorn the body and a closed position where the head occurs adjacent the body and the post establishes a carrying handle for the projector. The structure that I provide further includes a mounting means E for the projector head and shiftably engaged on the post, and lock means F and F related to the post and the head and adapted to hold and maintain the post in an open or c'rosed position.

The cabinet A of the projector that I provide is shown as an elongate box-like body having a flat horizontally disposed top wall 10, flat vertically disposed side walls 11 and fiat vertically disposed front and rear walls 12.

The top wall of the body establishes a work supporting surface and has a window 13 therein adapted to pass a vertical beam of light from within the body.

in the case illustrated the front or forward end of the top wall 11 has an extension 14 which projects beyond the front wall of the body to provide additional working surface and also to cooperate with and form a part of the lock means P, which means will be more fully described hereinafter.

The illuminating and light directing means B housed in the body A includes, an electric lamp 20 in the forward portion of the body, a reflector 21 in the body and adapted to direct the light produced by the lamp upwardly through the window 13 in the top wall of the body, and a condenser lense 22 adjacent to and below the window 13 in the top wall 10 of the body and adapted to direct the light in an upwardly convergent vertical beam, as it leaves the body.

The projector head C is adapted to be positioned above the body A to occur above the window 13 in the top wall It) thereof and to receive and project the vertical beam of light issuing from the body. The projector head C is shown as including a housing 25 having a bottom opening 26, a front opening 27, a projecting lense 28 arranged in the bottom opening and adapted to receive and project the beam of light issuing from the body of the projector and a mirror reflector 29 in the housing and adapted to direct the light beam passed by the projecting lense horizontally through the front opening of the housing and forward relative to the body of the projector.

The structure thus far described can, in practice, vary widely in form and in details of construction and does not materially affect the invention herein provided. For the above reasons, further detailed description of the projector-body A, light generating and projecting means 18 and projecting head C will be dispensed with.

The articulate post D that Ll provide is an elongate sectional structure adapted to normally support the projector head C in a vertical spaced position above the window opening 13 in the top wall it) of the body, so that it is in axial alignment with and receives the vertical beam of light issuing from the body, through the window.

The post D that I provide, has an elongate tubular bottom section 3% fixed to and projecting upwardly from the body A, an elongate tubular top section 31 pivotally connected with the upper terminal end of the bottom section by means of a suitable knuckle joint 40 and adapted to support the projector head C thereon through and by means of the mounting means E. In the case illustrated, the post is shown projecting upwardly from the top wall 10 of the body adjacent the rear end thereof and inter- 3 mediate the side walls thereof. The lower section of the post is rigid with the projector body A and, in practice, can be anchored or fixed to the body in any desired manner. I

The knuckle joint connecting the upper and lower sections 36 and 31 of the post is shown as including a bottom part 41 carried by the lower post section 30 and a top part 42 pivotally carried by the bottom part and secured to and carrying the upper post section 31. The bottom part 41 of the knuckle joint is shown as including a body 43 engageable on the end of the post section 30, an elongate stud 44 projecting downwardly from the body and threadedly engaged in the post section from the upper end thereof, and a pair of laterally spaced plate-like cars 45 projecting upwardly from the body and provided with flat parallel inner opposed faces 46. The cars are further provided with axially aligned openings 47 adapted to receive and hold a suitable pivot pin 48.

The top part of the knuckle joint 46 is shown as including a body 50 engageable with the bottom end of the upper section 31 of the post D, a stud S1 projecting upwardly from the body and threadedly engaged in the upper post section, and a flat plate-like, centrally located tongue 52 with flat parallel sides 53 depending from the body and adapted to be engaged between the cars 45 on the bottom part of the knuckle joint, with the side 53 of the pin establishing fiat sliding engagement with the faces 46 and having an opening 54 extending therethrough and adapted to slidably receive the pivot pin 48.

The knuckle joint 40 is engaged on the lower section of the post so that the flat plate-like ears and the tongue, 45 and 52, thereof, occur in planes parallel with the longitudinal axis of the body, with the result that the upper section of the post extends parallel with and is spaced above the top 10 of the body when it is folded down, as clearly illustrated in Fig. l of the drawings. To assure proper orientation of the knuckle joint with the upper and lower sections of the post, I provide suitable washers or spacers 55 between the ends of the post sections and the bodies 41 and 50 of the upper and lower parts of the joint, which washers serve to limit relative rotation of the joint parts with the post sections as or when they are threaded together.

The mounting means E provided for carrying the projector head C, supports the head for longitudinal movement along the upper section 31 of the post D, and is adapted to shift the head for vertcial adjustment relative to the body and focusing of the image projected thereby. The means E is characterized by a bracket 69 provided with spaced arms 62 which are slidably engaged on the post section 31, and it has a laterally projecting lug 63 with a mounting plate 64 thereon and to which the head C is secured, it being preferred to releasably fasten the head to the plate by suitable screw fasteners 65, as shown in Fig. l of the drawings. The post D is held against rotation and the parts establishing means E are arranged and related to the post so that the head carried thereby is in register with the window 13 in the body A and with the vertical beam of light projecting upwardly therefrom. In the form of the invention illustrated, the arms 62 of the bracket are split or divided and are provided with clamp screws 66 so that the bracket can be set in any desired vertical position on the upper section of the post.

In practice, the mounting means E further includes means for operating thebracket vertically on the post when the clamp screws 66 are released and this means may, in practice, involve sutficient friction so that it is not necessary to set the screws 66 in order to have the bracket and head remain in place, or in the desired adjusted position.

The particular operating means illustrated in the drawings, involves a rack 70 fixed to the upper section 31 of the post D to occur along the forward sides thereof,

a recess 71 in the bracket and opening towards the rock, a shaft 71 rotatably carried by the bracket to extend through the recess and project outwardly from one side of the bracket, and a pinion gear 73 carried by the shaft in fixed position thereon and engaging the rack. An operating knob 74 is provided on the end of the shaft projecting from the bracket so that by rotating the shaft the bracket is operated vertically on the post and relative to the body.

In the preferred construction, the side walls of the recess 71 engage the sides of the rack 70 on the post and prevent the mounting bracket and the head, from rotating relative to the post.

The lock means F adapted to maintain the post D in an open or extended position as shown in phantom lines in Fig. l of the drawings, or in a'broken or folded position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings, includes a tapered opening in the tongue 52 of the knuckle joint, to occur above and extend parallel with the pivot pin 47, a pair of axially aligned tapered openings 81 in the ears 45 on the lower section of the knuckle joint and adapted to register with opening 80 when the knuckle joint is in an open position and the upper end lower sections 30 and 31 of the post are in axial alignment, and a taper pin 82 adapted to be releasably engaged in the openings 80 and 81, to wedge tightly therein and hold the knuckle locked in said position. The lock means F further includes a second tapered opening 84 in the tongue 52, to occur below and extend parallel with the pivot pin 47, and a pair of axially aligned tapered openings 85 in the ears 45 of the knuckle joint and adapted to register with the opening 84 in the tongue, when the post is broken or folded down, that is, when the upper section 31 is at right angle to the lower section 39 and overlies the body A. The taper pin 82 is adapted to be inserted into the openings 84 and 85 when the said openings are in register and to tightly hold the post in said folded position.

The taper pin 82 is a straight elongate tapered member and in the particular case illustrated, has a laterally turned end establishing a suitable handle 86. A suitable elongate cord or chain 87 is provided for the pin to secure it to the projector so that it cannot be lost. The chain 87 is shown as having an end fixed to the handle 86 of the pin and the other end looped around the lower section 30 of the post D.

The lock means F that I provide, is adapted to supplement thelock means F and includes a plate 90 secured to and projecting forwardly from the top of the projector head C and having a downwardly projecting hook portion 91. When the post D is folded down and so that the front of the projector head C rests on the top 10 of the body A, the plate 90 overlies the front side of the forwardly projecting extension 14 of the top 10 and the hook portion 91 thereof engages under the extension.

It will be apparent that the lock means F is related to the mounting means E for the projector head C, that is, engagement on the plate 90 and the hook portion 91 thereof with the extension 14 of the top 10 of the body A is accomplished by operation of the means E and shifting of the projecting head longitudinally along the top portion 31 of the post, after the post is folded.

It will be apparent from the foregoing, that the articulate post and lock means therefor, as provided by the present invention, serves to suitably support the projector head C above the window W in the body A when the structure is in operation and that the upper section 31 of the post D establishes a suitable carrying handle for the structure, when it is not in use and when the post is folded down.

With the structure provided by the present invention, special carrying cases, harnesses and the like, need not be provided to carry the structure, and the structure need not be dismantled for the purpose of transporting or storage.

Having described only a typical preferred form and asaaoee application of my invention, 1 do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specific details herein set forth, but wish to reserve to myself any variations or modifications that may appear to those skilled in the art and fall within the scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A projector of the character referred to including, a body with an upwardly opening window therein, light generating and directing means in the body and adapted to direct a beam of light upwardly through the window, an articulate post fixed to projecting upwardly from the body, and a projector head carried by the post to be operatively positioned above the window and adapted to receive and project said beam of light, the said articulate post having upper and lower portions pivotally connected together at the inner end of each portion, and lock means carried by said projector head and said body to releasably retain said upper portion in a horizontal position above said body to establish a carrying handle for the projector.

2. A projector of the character referred to including, a body with an upwardly opening window therein, light generating and directing means in the body and adapted to direct a beam of light upwardly through the window, an articulate post fixed to the body adjacent the window to project upwardly therefrom, a projector head adapted to receive and project said beam of light, mounting means securing the head to the post for longitudinal movement therealong, the said articulate post having upper and lower portions and a knuckle joint pivotally connecting the said sections together so the upper section can be shifted from a vertical position where the head is spaced above the window to a horizontal position to establish a carrying handle for the projector and where the head occurs adjacent the body, and lock means adapted to hold the head adjacent the body including, a plate fixed to the head and having a hook thereon engagable with the body.

3. A projector of the character referred to including, a body with a hat horizontally disposed top, an upwardly opening window in the top, light generating and directing means in the body adapted to direct a beam of light vertically through the window, a projector head spaced above the body to normally receive and project said beam of light, an articulate post having upper and lower elongate sections, a knuckle joint pivotally connecting said sections together, the lower section being fixed to and projecting upwardly from the body, the upper section being shiftable from a normal working position where it is in axial alignment with the lower section to a position where it is at right angles to the lower section and overlies the body to establish a handle, mounting means on the projector head and engageable with the upper section of the post, and lock means adapted to selectively maintain said post in said two positions and including a lock pin engageable in aligned openings in the knuckle joint.

4. A projector of the character referred to including, a body with a flat horizontally disposed top, an upwardly opening window in the top, light generating and directing means in the body adapted to direct a beam of light vertically through the window, a projector head spaced above the window in the body to receive and project said beam of light, an articulate post having upper and lower elongate sections, a knuckle joint pivotally connecting said sections together and including, a top section fixed to one end of the upper post section and having a pair of laterally spaced depending ears, a bottom section fixed to the upper end of the lower post section and having an upwardly projecting tongue engageable between the ears, and a pivot pin extending through the ears and the tongue, the lower post section being fixed to and projecting upwardly from the body, the upper post section being shiftable from a position where it is in axial alignment with the the lower section to a position where it is at right angles to the lower section and overlies the body to establish a 'randle, mounting means on the projector head and engageable with the upper section of the post, and lock means adapted to maintain said post in said two positions and including a lock pin engageable in registering openings in the ears and tongue of the knuckle joint.

5. A projector of the character referred to including, a body with an upwardly opening window therein, light generating and directing means in the body and adapted to direct a beam of light upwardly through the window, an articulate post fixed to the body to project upwardly therefrom, a projector head adapted to receive and project said beam of light, mounting means securing the head to the post, the said articulate post having upper and lower portions, and pivot means pivotally connecting the said sections together so the upper section can be shifted from a vertical position where the head is spaced above the window to a substantially horizontal position to establish a carrying handle for the projector and where the head is positioned adjacent the body, and lock means adapted to hold the head in contact with the body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,079,508 Kaplowitz May 4, 1937 2,310,273 Bancroft Feb. 9, 1943 2,330,799 Coker et a1 Oct. 5, 1943 2,381,260 Coker Aug. 7, 1945 2,564,057 Fitzgerald Aug. 14, 1951 2,699,704 Fitzgerald Jan. 18, 1955 2,718,171 Fitzgerald Sept. 20, 1955 

